Australia is the world’s largest island encircled by thousands of kilometers of shoreline and beautiful beaches. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, lies off the coast of Tropical North Queensland with the 74 Whitsunday Islands sprinkled inside the Coral Sea.

The capital city of Cairns is a convenient access point for everything from resort island stays to day sails on sail boats to multi day cruises on small cruise ship or live-aboard dive boats.

If your time is limited, I suggest a day trip out to the Barrier Reef. There are several options to choose from.  One is a sleek wave-piercing catamaran which can whisk you out to an activities platform at the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef while you enjoy morning tea.

Of course, there is swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving for those who like the water. For those who prefer not to get wet, you can watch others take the plunge from the deck or through the underwater observation window. You may also go out in a semi-submersible vessel which, unlike a submarine, floats on the surface and does not descend below the surface. You may even join a marine biologist for an informative discussion. The last option is to get the bird’s eye view as you glide over the reef in a helicopter.

There’s something for everyone  and more than one way to experience this famous offshore playground – the largest structure on the planet built by living organisms. and you’ll be sure to see Nemo and his clown fish friends as you discover thousands of species of brightly colored fish and molluscs and hundreds of  types of coral.

Photography note: these grainy photos were taken with a disposable waterproof camera on a dive I did myself. All of the colors get muted as the light diffuses down through the water. You really need to see it for yourself.

Aboriginal Australians express their culture through a combination of story-telling, music, dance and art.

From the town of Kuranda, we can transfer to the Pamagirri Aboriginal Center and take a walk through guided stations to witness spear throwing and didgeridoo playing. You may even try your hand at throwing a boomerang.

Aboriginal Australians explain their heritage through a Dreamtime Walk or stories about the land and animals based ion their nature-based spiritual belief system. according to the Dreamtime, spirit ancestors descended from the sky, emerged from the earth and sprang from the waterways. You can see references to these elements in much of the artwork.

There is also an opportunity to see the Pamagirri Aboriginal dancers perform and demonstrate skills in a traditional corroboree or gathering.

Australia is comprised of 6 large continental territories plus the island territory of Tasmania.  

Within a  2 week vacation period, you could visit 3 areas quite well with a home base and day tours, perhaps even an overnight stay but this requires air travel between major points. Time permiting, there are some excellent scenic driving routes in many parts of the country. Since this is a introductory overview of Australia, I am going to quickly transport us to another region.

We are now going to fly up the east coast from Sydney in New South Wales to Cairns in tropical north Queensland. After an evening to get settled, explore downtown and have dinner along the marina, we head off the next morning on the Kuranda Railway up to the Kuranda rainforest. As the train climbs through the Barron Gorge National Park, we will cross 40 bridges and see a lush landscape with steep ravines and waterfalls.

Once we arrive at Kuranda, we will have some time to wander through the shops and galleries, the wildlife park and rainforest station before visiting the Pamagirri Aboriginal Center. I will discuss these topics in more detail in the next few days.

Skyrail

We will return via the Skyrail Cableway, gliding over the 9 miles of rainforest canopy in individual gondolas.

I am a big fan of rail travel and there are several wonderful routes within Australia. The transcontinental Indian Pacific runs between Perth on the west coast and Sydney on the east coast. Meanwhile the Ghan travels through the very heart of Australia’s outback between Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south. These are multiday journeys in trains with sleeper cars and restaurant cars. If you have the time and the interest, they are worth consideration.

In recent years,  award winning, full-flavored Australian wines have been exported all over the world as a hot commodity. It’s time for a little day trip out into the picturesque countryside to sample some aussie wines not available elsewhere.

The Hunter Valley is a 2 hour drive north of Sydney and claims to have about 90 wineries within the region. It is Sydney’s equivalent of San Francisco’s Napa Valley.

The Hunter Valley Wine School has a 2 hour wine experience at its on site winery program showcasing how wine is produced from grapevine to bottle. The tour portion takes you from the Shiraz vineyards to the crushers and fermenters and finally to the tasting cellar.

The cellarmaster discusses the qualities of a good wine as you proceed through tastings of Chardonnay, Shiraz and Semillion wines this region is known for. Of course, you will have an opportunity to ask questions and also to buy some to take with you.

There is also a Hunter Valley Cooking School program that concludes with  a leisurely gourmet lunch – complete with wine parings, of course!

Before we start back, we’ll swing by a local cheeserie and a chocolatier for some goodies for the trip back. I’ll let you discover those delicious details for yourself.

Life Savers Demo

Life savers, as in lifeguards, not the colorful sweet round candies.

Aussies enjoy a an active outdoor lifestyle and Bondi Beach is probably the most well known of Sydney’s 37 beaches. Still a mecca for sunbathers and surfers, this long wide stretch of sand attracts many visitors and is also a great place to do some people watching. You can soak up some sun, swim, jog. Or just take in the cool beachsdie vibe as you indulge in an ice cream.

A company called Let’s Go Surfing offers  small group and indiviudal surf lessons here. The staff is friendly and professional as they demonstrate lifesaving techniques and teach basic surfing skills to beginners. Instruction begins on the sand and then takes to the shallower water. They also assist experienced surfers with “catching the big ones”. All necessary equipment is provided.

 Afterwards, a delicious fresh seafood lunch at Nick’s awaits at the edge of the beach.

If you prefer smaller, more secluded beaches, there are others to choose from, accessible by bus or ferry.

The city of Sydney wraps itself around the harbor. One of the best ways to travel around it is to take a relaxing lunch harbor cruise. This photo is part of a series of progressive shots I took from the water side as we cruised past the world famous Opera House. This unique architectural structure is an amazing photo op from any angle and quite impressive to see in person.

I recommend the 1 hour guided tour for a fascinating look inside at the several performance halls beneath those lofty sail-shaped domes. In addition to opera, there are also live ballet, jazz, theater and classical music performances.

There is also a more intimate and more extensive 2 hour backstage tour for visitors interested in actually walking on stage and through the orchestra pit, scenery docks, dressing rooms and fly towers.

An elegant and sophisticated afternoon High Tea is served once a week. Guests are welcomed with a glass of Australia sparkling wine and then offered a selection of teas, pastries and cakes before a private musical performance.

To make an evening of it, you feast on a fine dining experience in the Bennelong Restaurant contained in the front two shells of the Opera House with spectacular views of Sydney’s skyline followed by an evening show just steps away in the Concert Hall or Opera Theater.

So, it’s actually a day and a night at the Opera House.

It is possible to climb to the very summit of the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge as part of a small group adventure. If you look closely, you can see people in clusters climbing up along the top throughout the day. Your guide will take you across catwalks, up several ladders and finally along a walkway to the very top. From there, you have a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the entire harbor at dawn, dusk or any time in between. Night tours are also conducted for a different perspective. On a clear day, with a 360-degree view, it’s like being at the top of the world.

Participants are briefed and dressed in uniform gray jumpsuits before being attached to a safety line that runs the course. This is a functioning bridge with vehicular traffic as well as trains that rumble across below. Therefore, distractions from the climbers are minimized as much as possible. Anything that could dangle or drop such as jewelry or accessories has to be removed and stored in a locker at the base until you return. Personal cameras are not allowed but company photos will be available for purchase.

A few words of advice: I recommend any time other than midday due to the potential heat. You can work up quite a sweat in those jumpsuits! The gradient is not as steep as it appears. However, this activity may NOT be enjoyed by anyone who is seriously afraid of heights or uncomfortable walking and climbing for an extended period of time. There’s only one way up and one way down.

Welcome to the vibrant  and cosmopolitan city of Sydney. The Sydney International is a large modern airport with fast and convenient connections downtown. The Sydney Harbor waterfront is the place to stay to be in the center of all the action. The central business district sits directly behind this area.

There are several fine city hotels to choose from around Circular Quay, a main public transportation hub for ferries, buses and trains. My favorite hotel is the Sydney Inter-Continental with the historic former treasury building as its foundation. This is a stylish boutique-style hotel with contemporary and classic design elements. I’ve enjoyed having morning breakfast or evening cocktails with friends in the rooftop club lounge and deck with a panoramic view of  the Harbor Bridge, Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens all at the same time.

The bustling and energetic harbor waterfront houses all types of businesses from coffee bars to fine seafood restaurants; souvenir shops to elegant boutiques;  plus museums and galleries to keep you entertained.

Tonight, let’s walk around the harbor to The Rocks area. I know a friendly  aussie pub where we can chat with locals and visitors over some “fish and chips and a pint”. Tomorrow, we’ll return for a guided walking tour of this historic neighborhood with its colonial era buildings and learn about the arrival of the first Europeans and their impact on the local aboriginal population.

G’Day, mate. Greetings from the Land Down Under.

The vast and varied island continent of Australia is approximately the size of the United States. It is wider across than the distance from New York to Los Angeles with a population of 20 million people, largely concentrated in coastal areas.

Los Angeles is the main U.S. gateway to the South Pacific with direct flights to Tahiti, Fiji, the Cook Islands, New Zealand and Australia. When I speak about travel time, I am measuring from this departure point.

Many people have the misconception that Australia is at the bottom of the world and a full day’s journey away. Flight time from Los Angeles to Sydney is 14 hours, comparable to the flight times for Europe from our West Coast.

Undara lava tube

Once you arrive, prepare yourself for a kaleidoscope of colors in Australia’s diverse terrain: luscious green rainforests; craggy red deserts, white sandy beaches and rich blue oceans.

Here, I am deep in a lava tube in the Undara region of Northern Queensland. Notice the color striations on the cave walls/ceiling.

Photo note: An additional light source was required to take this shot in the dark cavernous tunnel.

I am literally down under the ground, get it?. It’s just my quirky off-center sense of humor. You’ll get used to it.

Question: What lies at the end of the world?

pier at Le Maitai Hotel, Fakarava

Answer: Fakarava, the second largest atoll in French Polynesia with its large lagoon and pass. Not only is it a world class diving destination, it has also been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The ONLY hotel is the Le Maitai Dream Fakarava. It serves as a home base for sailing and diving excursions. You can also go down the road to “town”.

Each remote atoll has a quiet little village with only the essentials: the all important dock for the periodic supply boat; a small grocery store, more the size of a mini mart than a supermarket: a church since the missionaries had been here saving pagan souls plus a couple of snack shops and pensionsor guest houses. Fakarava is no different. I was amused by the fact that they have no bank. The money arrives each month on the supply boat.

After a few days, it is time to return to “civilization”. I will take you out to one of my favorite hideaways, Tikehau, a picture postcard atoll with pink and beaches, on a future virtual tour of private islands.

For more information, contact:
Jacintha Perera, Tahiti Tiare Specialist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597